WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ WOLFFANG ~

Wolffang had promised to make sure that Fernpaw, Eldersky, and her kits were accepted into WindClan. He wasn't missing, but he was going in with them. He observed the conflict in Fernpaw's eyes, the choked mew as he spoke with Twilightstar. Wolffang laid his thick-furred gray tail on the other tom's brown shoulders as some sort of reassurance. Eldersky seemed calm at first, but then seemed to get a bit emotional. Wolffang wasn't quite sure on if he was supposed to speak up for them, or let them speak up for themselves. Especially with Eldersky. Would they want to testify? He glanced at them briefly, then turned to Twilightstar. Wolffang had never thought he would feel this way. In the past, he would've just let Twilightstar decide, or might've even protested against him. He would've just seen them as plain cats and judged their need or use to WindClan. But now, looking at them - Fernpaw, the apprentice brought back from the dead who had brought him a bird egg, and Eldersky, his older sister, the queen with two kits she needed to take care of - a new, almost odd determination set within him. A type that he didn't know if he'd felt before. No, he had, but it had been for the whole Clan. This one was for a few cats, specifically these ones in front of him. Wolffang squared his shoulders. No matter what happened, Wolffang would make sure Twilightstar let them in.

"Twilightstar." He addressed his leader with a clear but serious mew and a dip of his head. "I found Fernpaw wandering on our territory, and he took me to Eldersky and her kits, which are still nursing. All of them want to go back to WindClan." Wolffang wasn't sure what else to say. He glanced back at Fernpaw, who especially held a special place in his heart. He could be a featherbrain, but for some reason, Wolffang held a soft spot in his heart for him. He turned back to Twilightstar. "They can speak for themselves and present their cases, but I would prefer it if you let them back in." Many would see this request as odd or uncharacteristic - even Wolffang found his words a bit odd to his ears - but Wolffang felt as though it was necessary for Twilightstar to know that he was on their side.

@BILL. @implimm @Moonraven

[Kunaisoul]

Originally Posted by Mistletoe

[Sorry for the late response!]

~Lavendersnap~

“Hmm! An interesting story indeed and one almost completely lost to time. I will tell you what we know. The cats of this territory used to fight amongst themselves bitterly. Brother fought brother. Mother fought kit. Mate fought mate. It was a time of utter chaos. Then Starclan arose. They could not let this violence continue! They chose five leaders to keep the cats in check. They formed a code so that we would never fall back into such days again. And then they issued a warning that of we were ever to go back to those lawless times, they would destroy this territory themselves.” Lavendersnap meowed these things in an ominous tone. She waved her tail back and forth for effect. She had no idea what parts of this story were true and what parts were fiction, but it was a fun story to tell regardless. Lioncloud sure is studious to have requested this one.

{Lioncloud of WindClan}

"Wow!" her eyes lit up with enrichment. "That was awesome, Lavendersnap!"

[iLoveWarriorC@$]

[QUOTE=RiztheHuntress; (Had to change my boy's name btw, sorry for any confusion)

Hawkblaze nodded at the suggestions, thinking for a moment. "Let's start at the warrens and work our way back through the tunnels, give ourselves a chance to check both areas," he suggested before looking back at the pair. "Double our luck of finding something that way," he mewed with a shrug. [QUOTE]

"Ok," mumbled Nightstorm. "Th-that would be a good place." Secretly, she had severe claustrophobia, and was sort of afraid of the dark. She didn't want anyone to know, so she would just go along with the plan. She wasn't a kit anymore, for Starclan's sake! She shouldn't be afraid of the dark. She hesitantly followed Hawkblaze and Palecloud, hoping they didn't notice her hesitation.
"Youl be fine," she told herself. "Youl be fine."

@RiztheHuntress @superstar

[Rizo]

Originally Posted by iLoveWarriorC@$

"Ok," mumbled Nightstorm. "Th-that would be a good place." Secretly, she had severe claustrophobia, and was sort of afraid of the dark. She didn't want anyone to know, so she would just go along with the plan. She wasn't a kit anymore, for Starclan's sake! She shouldn't be afraid of the dark. She hesitantly followed Hawkblaze and Palecloud, hoping they didn't notice her hesitation.
"Youl be fine," she told herself. "Youl be fine."

@RiztheHuntress @superstar

Hawkblaze watched the pair for a moment before trotting off towards the warrens. He flicked an ear as he heard Nightstorm's stutter. "You're not scared, are you? It's just a little earth!' He chuckled as they walked.

[ @iLoveWarriorC@$ @doof ]

[pxxylo]

Originally Posted by RiztheHuntress

Hawkblaze watched the pair for a moment before trotting off towards the warrens. He flicked an ear as he heard Nightstorm's stutter. "You're not scared, are you? It's just a little earth!' He chuckled as they walked.

[ @iLoveWarriorC@$ @doof ]

Deciding to get a bit more serious about things and not be so loosey-goosey, the tom gave a small, half-hearted chuckle, making his way over the the base of the warrens. Palecloud lowered himself to his haunches, grinning slightly as he slipped into the tunnels. My, the temperature difference was near unbelievable. It was practically five-below zero out there, and it was a happy medium in here the second he had stepped in.

[ @iLoveWarriorC@$ @\RiztheHuntress ]

[IcarusUntamed]

Mouse’claw padded up the Breezerock, aware he was late, he sat in the back, attempting to draw as little attention to himself as possible.
A snow day? Hm, that was interesting. Why not join in? It had been rather uneventful recently.

[Moonraven]

Originally Posted by seeingstars

{ @Moonraven }
~~~
Petalkit flinched at the mention of his name and looked down shamefully. He didn't want to admit he'd just had a fit and run off.

Rockpaw cleared his throat before speaking "Petalkit was really upset about Softleaf's passing and he ran off, I went to find him but by the time I did we were both pretty far out of Windclan territory, we had a hard time finding our way back, but we eventually made it back to the territory" He explained glancing down at Petalpaw, he tapped his adopted brother with his tail, hinting for him to apologize.

Petalkit swallowed anxiously before looking up at Twilightstar "I'm... I'm sorry Twilightstar" He said quietly, forcing his gaze to stay on her.

It was soft, unheard, but still a sigh. It was uttered after Rockpaw explained why the pair had gone missing. Normally, Twilightstar would have gotten her tail in a bunch about Rockpaw disappearing with Petalkit. But, if you saw a kit running away, you go after them. So Rockpaw wasn't at fault, she'd be disappointed in him if he hadn't gone after Petalkit.

The little one, though, was a different story. She couldn't really chastise him for running away after Softleaf's death... well she could she just wouldn't feel good about scolding him. It would seem that she wouldn't need to, at Rockpaw's silent urging Petalkit apologized. He seemed remorseful and earnest to her, which made her assume that Rockpaw had given the kit an earful on their way back to the clan.

"I'm not going to find fault with you this time, Petalkit. You're lucky Rockpaw went after you otherwise you would have been lost and all alone." Not that running away when you were upset was right, but sometimes emotions get the best of even the strongest of cats, let alone a young kit. "I know losing someone can be painful, but running never helps. Finding someone to share the pain with or offer comfort won't take the pain away but it certainly helps with the sting. Try that next time instead." Twilightstar gave a soft wave of her tail, dismissing them. "Go eat and rest, I'm sure you two need it."

(Done)

Originally Posted by Jackpot

Figkit | she/her | @Moonraven

Small paws thumped on the ground as a tiny figure bolted across the moor, eyes blown wide open and chest heaving. She wasnt sure how long she had been running, but it didn't matter. She...she had to get away from those beasts. They had already killed featherwhisker, and she wasn't able to do anything to help her own mother! Sure, she knew Featherwhisker wanted her to escape, but that didn't help the immense guilt she felt. They didn't always see eye to eye, but she still loved her more than anything, and Featherwhisker always treated her well regardless.

By the time she crossed the border, it was already almost night. The sun was setting, and soon owls would be out. A shiver went through Figkit at the thought, and she tried to speed up. Before long she was back in a camp that she just barely remembered, having only been there once before for barely a moon before she was whisked off once again by her mother. Still, it felt she had been there for moons more than that. It felt...like her home.

With heavy breaths, she slowly tried to calm herself down, weary eyes scanning the camp. Should she try to find someone? Maybe Wolffang? He was her brother, after all. But...maybe it would be better to find the leader. Twilightstar, right? Was she even still leader? Well, it would be worth a try. "...Twilightstar?" Are you there?"

She was napping, the cold weather kept her lethargic and in a slight amount of pain. Old bones, old wounds, and all that fun stuff. Sleep was her release and seemingly only form of relaxation. It was why she did it some much when she was young, although, she had been lazier back then. Now she slept to fight off exhaustion and hopefully feel less tired when she woke up, she never did but the blanket of blackness and nothingness in her sleep was satisfying enough that she didn't mind waking up restless.

She had been pretty deep in her slumber, gifted by no dream of her lost loved ones, or plagued by a reoccurring nightmare with a certainly scarred tabby. It was just sleeping until something pulled her from her slumber. Piercing through her sleep haze and causing one of her ears to twitch. Little by little, toes stretching and tail twitching, she brought herself back into the waking world. Her only eye was greeted with by the image of her dimly lite den once her eyelids had peeled themselves back. She yawned, muscle stiff, and gradually climbed to her paws. Her fur immediately fluffed itself out to keep her warm while she stared at the opening of her den.

It wasn't that late, she could still hear the sound of her clanmates' meows and shuffling from outside. The problem was, she swore she heard her name called, that was what had woken her. Twilightstar wasn't an overly heavy sleeper, being a part of a clan didn't give her such a luxury. Hearing nothing now, but still curious, the molly left her warm nest behind and padded over to the opening in her den. She stuck her head out, overlooking her clan until she spotted someone out of place. Exiting her den, Twilightstar slowly padded over to a kit that would have earned the rank of apprentice a long time ago had she remained in WindClan. "I'm assuming you're the one who called me." Twilightstar meowed, eye glancing around for the young cat's mother with some unknown emotion. "Where have you been?"

Originally Posted by arden

As blue eyes found Twilightstar padding towards him and Snowypaw, Featherlight hadn't realized how anxious he really was until the butterflies nested in the pit of his stomach now took flight. His ears drew back a bit and he ducked his head in a quick manner of grooming his fur. It wasn't something he paid much attention to, not since he had been living on his own with no companion beside him. He suddenly wished that had not been the case, and that he had taken the time to do so. Thankfully, with how fluffy his fur was it wouldn't look too terrible.

"Twilightstar," he returned the polite greeting, acknowledging the WindClan leader with a respectful nod of his head. Despite how dry his throat felt, scratching and grating with each word, the former WindClan warrior pushed on. "...Yes. I came back for a bit, when ShadowClan and WindClan were fighting near the border. I was going to return with Wolffang but..." ...But what? His mind was still drawing a blank on any reason he could give Twilightstar, and he couldn't disrespect her with a lie. Plus, he was almost certain she'd see through it; Featherlight was not the best liar by any means.

After a moment of hesitation, the gray tom let out a sigh. "...To be honest, I'm not sure why I didn't follow through. I'm not sure why I stayed away for as long as I did. But what I do know is that WindClan has never left my mind. My Clanmates... my family... I should have never left, and there isn't any excuse in my mind that justifies doing so." Even if it was nothing, it was honest, and Featherlight watched the she-cat through thoughtful eyes. He didn't shrink back or stutter, much as he felt uncomfortable for delivering such a pathetic reasoning.

"When I felt as though I could not stay away from WindClan a day longer, that's when I ran into Snowypaw. They were... they were injured, and I knew that regardless of whatever happened to me, that they needed to get back to WindClan." Featherlight cast a glance down towards the young apprentice, and offered them a reassuring smile.

- - -

Snowypaw was too focused on getting themself to stop shaking to notice the WindClan leader in the distance. They swallowed hard, pushing their paws into the solid moorland underneath them as a deterrent against the trembles. It worked, albeit poorly, and soon they subsided into a twitch here and there. Their breathing had also slowed, and just as they were bringing their head back up, blue eyes found the fact of Twilightstar.

The nuzzle from the leader delivered a warmth that Snowypaw had been unaware they had needed and suddenly the desire to return home felt overwhelming. The fluffy furred apprentice remained quiet as Featherlight spoke beside them. They were unaware of his story, though their ears remained unfocused as they watched Twilightstar. Too busy worrying over if they would be let back into WindClan, or if this was as far as they would come. Oh stars, and Wolffang - he must be so upset with them.

Soon it fell quiet, and Snowypaw realized that Featherlight's gaze had fallen to them. Swallowing nervously, they shuffled their paws. "Y-Yeah, Featherlight found me. I got lost in the windstorm, and somehow ended up in S-ShadowClan territory, with Batglare. But then Dawnstar came and... and I ran." It felt like thorns dragging along their tongue getting the words out, and Snowypaw ducked their head again. They felt embarrassed and ashamed that they had run. They were suppose to be an apprentice training to be a warrior, for StarClan's sake!

Taking a few moments the white apprentice drew their head up again, nervously meeting Twilightstar's gaze. "I'm sorry. I know we're suppose to be tough, and not let ShadowClan see any fear, but... Dawnstar, that close up... was terrifying." The last part squeaked out in a whisper, and another shiver rattled their small frame.

// @Moonraven

Her eye was mostly focused on the white apprentice, she tore her gaze away and turned her head to better look at Featherlight after he greeted her and attempted to explain his reasoning for disappearing, reappearing, and disappearing again. Twilightstar didn't usually have to deal with cats coming and going again more than once. Thankfully, most of her clanmates learned their lesson the first time. Featherlight, though, was honestly very confusing. It wasn't often that she felt actual pure, unrestraint, anger. Yet, she was actually mad at him.

"While I can appreciate you for taking care of Snowypaw and bringing them back home, I can't say that I want you back in WindClan with reasoning like that. You can't just come back, call WindClan your family, after abandoning it twice for a reason you can't even figure out. You've missed out on so much, you haven't hunted, patrolled, fought, or defended your so-called family in moons, Featherlight." Aside from the soft growl that slipped from her throat and the pinned ears, Twilightstar's tone of voice remained even yet filled with a frigid bitterness that made her tongue sharper than her claws.

Whether it was Wolfang who simply forgot to inform her of Featherlight's aid or whatever, the tom could have easily sought Twilightstar out and talked to her about coming back to the clan then, he didn't take any initiation in doing so. He went off on his own again, leaving WindClan behind, and he couldn't even figure out why he had done it! "There will never be a good enough reason to justify anyone willingly walking away from their clan, but the fact that you don't even know why you walked away from us is honestly worst than any excuse you could give me." He had nothing, absolutely nothing and it kinda a hurt a bit. Featherlight had been one of the few brave souls who came to help her out of her rather trying predicament with Dawnstar. He had seemed like someone who could be dependable, help light up WindClan on troubling days. Yet it seemed like Twilightstar was wrong.

"If you don't know why you left, how am I supposed to trust you'll stay and remain loyal if I accept you back?" It was a question Twilightstar asked herself with every cat she brought back into the clan. The young, apprentices and kits, had much to learn about the life, decisions to make as they bloomed into warriors, but her warriors were different. She let her words hang in the air for a moment and then looked over to Snowypaw as they spoke about their experience with Dawnstar.

"I don't understand how you keep getting yourself into such troubling predicaments." Her eye had softened and her voice gentle while speaking to the cat. They always seemed to be getting themself into so much trouble, and luck seemed to be their only saving grace. Although, Twilightstar had been the one send the apprentice out hunting in a windstorm. Desperation made her judgment lapse, "I'm honestly just glad that you're alive and back home." Twilightstar admitted, bending down to give the apprentice's head's another nuzzle. Seriously, there were no words to express how delighted she was to have the apprentice back alive. Twilightstar wasn't really sure if she could handle any more merciless ShadowClan slaughters.

"Dawnstar's ugly mug scares most cats halfway to StarClan and back, I'm not surprised you ran when you saw her." Her tone was full of dry sarcasm there. "It's better that you ran, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're safer in the outskirts than in ShadowClan." Snowypaw was clearly StarClan blessed with how they escaped out of situations they shouldn't be in the first place. If only they could share a little of the blessing with WindClan. "I've already fetched Batglare from ShadowClan, Dawnstar was less than hospitable." Twilightstar was still shocked that she had gotten the old tom back without a massive war. Dawnstar was way creeper when she was accommodating. "I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear that you're back home." She was probably over exaggerating that, Batglare seemed to get grumpier as he aged, so he'll probably just acknowledge Snowypaw's existence, maybe?

"No need to apologize, despite how shameful the other clans might make it sound, we're WindClan, running is what we do best. Running and living to fight another day is smarter than walking into a fox's den just to prove that you can do it or that you're tough enough. I'm not mad or disappointed with you, Snowypaw. You still have time to learn and grow, and one day, when you decide it's time to be tough you'll have the skills and claws to defend your clan against threats like Dawnstar without fear. As soon as you finish your training of course."

She'd have to find Snowypaw a new mentor once again, she didn't want the cat feeling ashamed of their actions and or seeing their confidence dwindle or worst. Perhaps if she pestered Batglare he'd finish the apprentice's training, and maybe if StarClan was really watching over them she could convince the old badger to retire to the elders' den after. Done with the apprentice, the leader fixated her gaze on Featherlight, waiting to see what he had to say for himself.

(Snowypaw's good to go.)

Originally Posted by ~Fierce~

~Midnightpaw~
Midnightpaw listened to Twilightstar's words, trying not to show how bored she was right now. Don't get her wrong, she was listening and did actually care but she had been away from the clan long enough that she missed the bustle of it. She dipped her head at her mother, ignoring the part of her that wanted to make it mocking. She did care about her mother and understood that what she had said was wrong and that she deserved any punishment that her mother wanted to give her but she was fighting herself for no reason. All this pressure that nobody gave her, only herself. "I'm sorry mother. I didn't mean to make it sound that way. It's just that...all this pressure that I'm putting on myself, it's just pushing down on me that sometimes I feel that I'm drowning in it." She pawed at the ground, failing to meet her mother's gaze.
@Moonraven

Her tail lashed behind her back as Midnightpaw's expression remained rather vacant of anything. It made Twilightstar realize how far apart she felt from Midnightpaw. Leechpaw, Lionpaw, and Beastpaw. They were all very easy for her to get along with and somewhat understand. Leechpaw was sometimes a bit of a troublesome migrant though, for the most part, they walked in each other's paw steps with some additional communication. Midnightpaw she didn't get in the slightest. What was this about pressure?

Not to belittle her kit's problems, but what kind of pressure was she putting on herself in the slightest? "This is a problem that only can fix, Midnightpaw," Twilightstar started not unkindly, but not completely accepting either. "I don't see how any of these personal problems warrants disappearing from the clan for a second time. I can somewhat excuse you as a kit, but you're an apprentice now. You need to start taking responsibility for yourself. If every cat started leaving their clans because life wasn't what they expected it would be, or because of family issues, or expectations they've placed on themselves, the clans would be too small to exist." She pointed out, uncertain about letting Midnightpaw return to WindClan.

If Midnightpaw didn't take this seriously, there was no point letting the kit back into WindClan. It would hurt having to boot her own kit from the clan, not to mention the backlash and break it would cause between the rest of her kits and the leader. But she was adamant about the clan's needs coming before her own personal feelings and desires. If Midnightpaw didn't get her act together then she had no reason to stay in the clan.

Originally Posted by BILL.

Home.

The concept felt unreal to Fernpaw, even as the forest faded into meadows, into the fields that marked the start of WindClan territory. As long grass shrank to flattened paths, as the woven camp barrier came into sight.

And they were in. And Fernpaw's heart pounded in his chest, and he didn't know how to feel. If he wanted to laugh, or cry, or be numb, because after all this time..

The patrol, the skies, Fish Dad, Eldersky. A journey to nowhere but a pretty face and dead ends. After all that; they were home. He made it back, and with him came the sinking guilt that weighed his spirits down. All that... for what? His patrol wasn't with him.

Hickorykit was secured in his grasp as he crossed the familiar clearing. Twilightstar wasn't immediately in sight, so he opted to head for her den; something Wolffang had recommended. He only faltered in his steps when he neared the outside, that tell-tale lump returning in his throat as he tried to prepare himself to face her.

No amount of trying to compose himself would work, because as soon as he stepped into the den and glimpsed what he thought was lilac fur, tears welled in his eyes and a sob caught in his throat, muffled only by Hickorykit's tiny body. "Twilightstar?"

Wolffang said to keep moving forward, but it was hard. so hard. he didnt feel ready for any of this. He hadn't even been able to talk to Eldersky about what happened to him, what would she think?

[ @Moonraven, @TheNyanCatMinecart, @implimm ]

Originally Posted by implimm

[ @BILL., @TheNyanCatMinecart, @Moonraven ]

Fernpaw must have been feeling mighty weird about all of this. But oddly enough, the new queen was... Relaxed? She carries Laurelkit to WindClan's camp in silence, alert for signs of any of the trouble that her former Clan was rather known to have. All of her life had been trouble, so she had to ask herself why she would bother returning at all.

Family was what she made of it, and if she'd have been her former self then perhaps she would have left her littermate behind and gone alone, started anew. It's... honestly what their father must have done, despite his promises to return someday. And she'd never seen him again. It hurt, and she was forced to grow from it, to heal from it. And she would probably never mend entirely no matter how much she longed to.

But she wasn't Quince, and Fernpaw wouldn't be abandoned. The taste of despair, of loneliness, and jealousy, was bitter. Her brother crossed back into the world of the living to be here. And Eldersky would do the same for him. For her family. Their mother was a bond that, somehow, kept them together. It was a blessing she did not want to give up on.

But a lot fell down to Twilightstar's approval, and while her brother was only coming back home now, Eldersky had been away for a very long time... And not for the first time. Begrudgingly, she had to relent to understanding if the leader refused to let her stay. Perhaps I wouldn't either, the gray tabby thinks as she steps into camp for the first time in moons. She wordlessly follows her brother all the way to the she-cat's den, where stepping inside behind him, she is caught off-guard by the tone of Fernpaw's muffled mew. Stars, he was crying. She couldn't see it, but she knew.

As if by instinct between siblings, her own heart stings, and she lowers Laurelkit to the floor of the den to clear her throat before she, too, felt the prickles in her eyes. Instead, she watches her kit bobble for a few heartbeats before glancing at Hickorykit.

Originally Posted by TheNyanCatMinecart

~ WOLFFANG ~

Wolffang had promised to make sure that Fernpaw, Eldersky, and her kits were accepted into WindClan. He wasn't missing, but he was going in with them. He observed the conflict in Fernpaw's eyes, the choked mew as he spoke with Twilightstar. Wolffang laid his thick-furred gray tail on the other tom's brown shoulders as some sort of reassurance. Eldersky seemed calm at first, but then seemed to get a bit emotional. Wolffang wasn't quite sure on if he was supposed to speak up for them, or let them speak up for themselves. Especially with Eldersky. Would they want to testify? He glanced at them briefly, then turned to Twilightstar. Wolffang had never thought he would feel this way. In the past, he would've just let Twilightstar decide, or might've even protested against him. He would've just seen them as plain cats and judged their need or use to WindClan. But now, looking at them - Fernpaw, the apprentice brought back from the dead who had brought him a bird egg, and Eldersky, his older sister, the queen with two kits she needed to take care of - a new, almost odd determination set within him. A type that he didn't know if he'd felt before. No, he had, but it had been for the whole Clan. This one was for a few cats, specifically these ones in front of him. Wolffang squared his shoulders. No matter what happened, Wolffang would make sure Twilightstar let them in.

"Twilightstar." He addressed his leader with a clear but serious mew and a dip of his head. "I found Fernpaw wandering on our territory, and he took me to Eldersky and her kits, which are still nursing. All of them want to go back to WindClan." Wolffang wasn't sure what else to say. He glanced back at Fernpaw, who especially held a special place in his heart. He could be a featherbrain, but for some reason, Wolffang held a soft spot in his heart for him. He turned back to Twilightstar. "They can speak for themselves and present their cases, but I would prefer it if you let them back in." Many would see this request as odd or uncharacteristic - even Wolffang found his words a bit odd to his ears - but Wolffang felt as though it was necessary for Twilightstar to know that he was on their side.

@BILL. @implimm @Moonraven

Awesome! More unexpected problems to deal with, these just made her day. Twilightstar's reaction to the formally dead apprentice walking in her den with a kit hanging in his jaw wasn't stellar. The tears and pitiful muffled mew that came from in the form of her name wasn't helping either. She was a little bit freaked out to the apprentice again, the wide eye was the only thing that exposed her surprise. For some reason her mind jumped to the kit he had, noting that he was way too innocent to be any cat's father, but Eldersky's arrival followed closely by Wolffang's cleared up that single issue. The molly was holding another kit and judging by her form, was nursing them. Twilightstar, never one to care about things like clanborns and whatnot, would have congratulated the former warrior if the circumstances were different.

Back to the flying hedgehog fluttering around the room. Twilightstar blinked her eye slowly and shuffled her front paws, staring at Fernpaw again. She couldn't offer him any words of comfort purely due to the fact that he shouldn't be alive. It wasn't the fact that he was alive that confused her, plenty of cats were given second chances by StarClan, hell she had seen Buckbranch at the recent gathering. No, the issue here was the fact that he was back again! StarClan had to be laughing or really hate the young cat, cause this was just cruel from Twilightstar's point of view. Was he going to keep doing this, dying and coming back to life, if so how and more importantly why?

Having nine lives was a literal curse in Twilightstar's eyes. Sometimes it was better for the dead to stay dead, most cats couldn't understand how much pain a leader went through coming back and she didn't mean just physical pain. Coming back to life and knowing the cats who had fought just as hard, risked their lives just as much, or actually deserved another chance at life, couldn't come with you, hurt! It was an incredibly taxing ordeal. Add in the survivor's guilt, on top the regular guilt, sprinkling in some depression, and finally a heaping pile of trauma, emotional, mental, and sometimes physical, and you got nine lives in a nutshell. Seriously, whoever decided on the nine lives things obviously never died more than once, twice at most.

Why nine? Why not three and then it was someone else's turn? They had deputies! Who thought it was a good idea for Fernpaw to experience this? He was already teary and sad and Twilightstar bet this had something about the cats who died with him and the experience itself. Fernpaw was literally a maybe(?) smarter version of Twilightstar's beloved and missing Parasite of a son. There was no way he was cut out for this resurrection haredung! Leaders at least had some sort of responsibility keeping them tethered and semi-sane, excluding the one, plus they knew when their last life was up. Fernpaw wasn't a leader, how many lives did he have? How much suffering and torture was he going to go through with this? What if he turned into WindClan's version of Dawnstar with all the trauma! Hmm, that thought made her a little sick to her stomach. Wolffang's deep meow put a much-needed halt on her thoughts.

Twilightstar's ears twitched and straight as she swung her good eye towards Wolffang as he actually vouched for Eldersky and Fernpaw. Oh, yeah, that right he probably had no clue this was Fernpaw's second revival. Anyway, she commended the tom, on what she hoped was pure empathizing and not personal feelings, for speaking up. But she did expect that he was keeping his clan in mind. Fernpaw, despite his death-defying act, could be brought into WindClan with little issue. Eldersky, however, had some explaining to do. This wasn't the first time the she-cat disappeared and Twilightstar needed to figure out where her loyalties lay.

There were those kits too, but those didn't need much explaining. "I'll keep your opinion in mind, Wolffang. For now, take the kits to the nursery and see if one of the queens can nurse and tend to them until I'm done speaking with them." She ordered calmly, lifting a paw to rub just below her ear where a brand new headache was forming. Usually, she wouldn't mind having Wolffang sit in with her for something like this, it could be a learning experience, but in this case, it would be better if she dealt with this alone. She breathed softly through her nose and gave Eldersky a gentle inquisitive look, noting she seemed on the verge of tears for a reason unknown to Twilightstar.

Oh boy, this was going to be quite an emotional ride. "Eldersky, are you alright with..." she fell silently wordlessly prompting the queen for her kits' names, "staying in the nursery for a time?" If all goes well, they'd be living there or several moons anyway. But Twilightstar didn't want to make the queen feel like she had to part with her kits if she'd rather keep them with her. Both siblings appeared rather attached to the little ones, she supposed if they gave the two comfort they could keep them here. She'd prefer they stick them in her nest over the cold flooring, however.

(Nyan, if you want Wolf to stick around, feel free to have him say so, Twi won't make that big a fuss about it).

[spade]

Twilightstar's words were harsh, but true. Featherlight had known it from the moment he had departed from WinClan all those moons ago. Foolishly following a she-cat he had tried so many times to help. A lost soul that he felt like he could fix - only for her to leave in the end. Days had been spent searching for her, pleading with the wind to hear her voice again, but nothing had ever come. By the time realization sunk in that she had truly run from him, he felt it too late to go back to WindClan.

Cowardice. Only a fox-hearted fool would stay away from his Clan for as long as Featherlight had and not have any half-way decent excuse upon returning. His ears drew back as he bowed his head, letting his former leader speak her piece.

He was quiet as Snowypaw then spoke up, detailing their fear over Dawnstar and ShadowClan in general. The thought of it drew a soft growl from the warrior, all too well recalling the perilous conditions in which he an a few others (at the lead of Beastspark) had found Twilightstar during Dawnstar's dark reign of terror. Back then, he had been a selfless warrior. Often casting aside his own issues to tackle larger challenged for the good of WindClan. What... had happened to him?

"...I know well enough that no words spoken can articulate trust, and once it has been lost, it is difficult to build back up," he finally started, lifting his gaze to meet Twilightstars. The butterflies had flown off and in their place settled the stone cold truth; Featherlight was, and always would be, a WindClan warrior. Even if he was refused re-entry (understandably) he would serve the Clan until his last breath - he would just have to figure out how.

Taking a moment as another long breath left him, Featherlight gave one last hopeful attempt. "But I am clear headed and know that my purpose lies with WindClan. Whatever you feel is a suitable way for me to regain the Clans trust, I will accept. Even if it includes exile." There was still a chance that he could be cast out, and the large tom had to come to terms with that he knew now.

// @Moonraven

[Moonraven]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Twilightstar released a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. For some reason when she did stuff like this, her clan's reaction made her just a tad bit nervous. She's was always open for criticism, but the she-cat's never been completely shut down before so it was hard to say how she'd take it.

Streampaw and perhaps Leopardfire seem to be the only two who were put off with the idea. The apprentice made sure to vocally announce it to complain about hunting. Raypaw shut her up by tossing snow at her, which had the leader laughing softly. Tigerpaw's call for a race was interesting, Twilightstar wasn't sure how well most of her cats ran in the snow. She knew that she had difficulty, although it could just be her thing.

"You can host a race, so long as Nightwind around to help you." Twilightstar never minded when apprentices when to hold events, but she did like a warrior supervising just in case. Leaping off the Breezerock, signaling the end of the meeting the she-cat added, "If you don't want to play in the snow, that's perfectly fine. This is not a mandatory event, rarely are any events. Cats who'd like to play can come with me to the moor, kits can tag along so long as they're accompanied by a warrior." The leader led the way to the moor after she finished speaking.

 

@TheNyanCatMinecart @Rani @Raven~ @seeingstars @Kunaiskrill @Pheasantflight @duskfire1 @RainingCiabattas @Beetlenose @gs29513 @Naiad @Undertaker @Singing Jay @x ghostie @NinjaBloss @Mystical @Cat Bee @Ravensong @The Royal Pizza @Brightlight @Jaxson @DeltaDace @Phantomtamer @Clock Dragonshifter @Leafspeaker @Ritsuka @Jae @Yeeter @Wings @error @Angelique @Whitewillow @Ember Paw @Mistletoe @Silverfur & Co @Whisperingwishes @tulle @Earthworm @Cobra @I draw war cats @xXSharptailXx @Ikoria the Wolf Pup @Lullabypaw @Zenoebya @A Wolf @corgigirl @Skycloud @PanVibes @Nixey @Drogan the Dragontaur @windtail @CatontheMoon @flopsy @InsertCoolNameHere @PrinceToby5 @Cherryfalls @Beancat @~Gale~ @Wintermist @GoldenDays @Snakebite318 @darkside @Starfall @Papaya @Hawkice @vanillaa @iLoveWarriorC@$ @sid @doof

[Akira]

"Let's go!" Sunshade cheered, already racing after the leader. This was going to be so much fun!